Feng Qi Wu

Fengqi Wu is a historical romance novel by the web author Li Xin, published in January 2008 by China City Press. Set during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, the story centers on Li Yue, the princess Yufeng, her most beloved youngest daughter. Li Yue has suffered from a chronic illness since childhood and, because of her sharp temperament and high status, has drawn the suspicion of Princess Taiping. Weary of palace intrigue, she goes to great lengths to escape the palace and hide herself in the jianghu, only to be drawn into an even deeper maelstrom. On her journey through the martial world, she encounters two men: Xi Yang, a mysterious and ethereal youth, and Xie Junkai, the aloof and distant "Sage Healer." The former is passionate and forthright, while the latter, though outwardly indifferent, has in truth fallen for her. Among the three arises a subtle, ambiguous affection that cannot be severed or sorted out. The origins of the Yufeng Jue, the secrets of the Cold Fragrance Valley, jianghu grudges, and the chaos of war all intertwine. Though a princess by birth, Li Yue is repeatedly misunderstood and plotted against, and she lingers in anguish, caught between hope and loss. The book uses the image of "the phoenix perches only on the wutong tree" to portray a proud and high-spirited young woman's search for a place to belong between the palace and the jianghu. Written in a cool, luminous style, with restrained emotion that carries a "warm ache," it is one of the more representative full-length works of the author's early romance writing.